Attachment for flat irons



Aug. 27,1963

P. D. CRAWFORD ATTACHMENT FOR FLAT IRONS Filed May 9, 1962 INVENTOR PAUL D. CRAWFORD ATTORNEY.

United The present invention relates to an attachment for flat irons in general and to a can holder attachment for dispensing material to be sprinkled contained in the can, in particular.

It is well known, that liquid starch is marketed in cans having a spraying nozzle disposed at one end thereof, in order to sprinkle the starch contained in the can onto clothes to be ironed. The present operation of the can involves a rather cumbersome procedure, because it is always necessary to stop the ironing, gripping the can, spraying an area of the clothes and then grip the iron again and iron the area covered by the starch liquid.

Attachments for sprinklers, for seam openers, and others are known, which are detachably applied to the bat iron. Yet, these known attachments do not provide securing means for the can containing the starch liquid to the flat ll'OIl.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a can holder attachment -for flat irons which includes means for securing a can containing starch liquid to the handle of a flat iron.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a can holder attachment for flat irons which attachment is releasably clamped to the handle of the that iron and which comprises two half-cylindrical members axially telescoping relatively to each other and forming jointly a container which receives the can containing the starch liquid between end plates provided at opposite ends of the half cylindrical members and spring means urging the half cylindrical members into each other, whereby the end plates of the container engage the bottom and top faces of the can and the latter is retained in the container. v

It is still another object of he present invention to provide an attachment for flat irons releasably secured to the handle of a fiat iron, which includes means for receiving the can containing starch liquid and wherein the can holder attachment includes means for operating a nozzle provided on the can to be operated by the hand of the operator gripping the handle of the flat iron during the ironing operation.

With these and other objects-in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a conventional fiat iron showing the can holder attachment releasably secured thereto;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the can holder attachment;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the can holder attaehment;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the can holder attachment;

and

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of another embodiment of the can holder attachment.

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 4, a conventional flat iron 1 is equipped with a handle 2 and a can holder attachment 3 is releasably secured, preferably, to the handle 2 by clamping means 4 or in any other suitable manner.

The clamping means 4 comprises a metal band surrounding the handle 2 and clamped to the latter by means of a wing screw 5, which band is, preferably, integrally formed with the can holder attachment.

The can holder attachment 3 comprises two substantially halt-cylindrical members 7 and 8, which are jointly of an 3,101,562 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 "ice 2 axial length slightly larger than the conventional size of a can 6 containing starch liquid, the can *6 being received in the half-cylindrical members 7 and 8. The latter telescope axially into each other, whereby the member 8 having a slightly smaller diameter than that of the member 7, finds its guide in a bent-over edge formation 9 of the halfcylindrical member 7. By this arrangement, the halfcylindrical member '8 can easily slide axially into and out from the half-cylindrical member 7. The half-cylindrical member 7 has at its front end a base 9 covering a portion of the front end of the combined half-cylinder and the half-cylindrical member 8 has at its rear end a base 10 covering a portion of the rear end of the combined half-f cylinder. Projections 11 and 1 2 are provided, respectively, at the bottom of the respective cylindrical members 7 and 8, and a helical spring '13 connects the members 7 and 3 by securing its respective end to the projections 11 and 12, which spring 13 urges the half-cylindrical members 7 and 8 into a position to assume their shortest axial length. i

In order to mount a can containing starch liquid or any other suitable material into the can holder attachment and into the two cylindrical members 7 and 8, respectively, it is clearly necessary to move the half-cylindrical member 8 out of the half cylindrical member 7 against the force of the spring 13 to an axial length which is slightly larger than the axial length of the can 6, whereupon the latter can be inserted into the half-cylindrical members 7 and 8. The spring 13 will partly return by telescoping movement the half-cylindrical member 3 into the half-cylindrical member 7, the front end or the can 6 abuts the front base 9 and the rear end of the can 6 abuts the rear base 10 of the can holder attachment. In this matter, a can 6 is clamped securely in the can holder attachment 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the can holder attachment 3 is secured to the handle 2 of the flat iron 1 in such manner, that the two half-cylindrical members 7 and 8 are inclined forwardly by inclining downwardly its longitudinal axis, so that a spraying of the starch liquid contained in the can 6' will cover an area just in front of the flat iron 1. In addition, as shown likewise in FIGS. 1 and 2, the clamping means 4 are equipped with a lateral extension to mount the can laterally in relation to the fiat iron 1.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the can holder attachment is shown, in wlhich, however, the clamping means 4' are disposed relative to the can holder attachment 3 in a superposed position in a vertical plane extending through the longitudinal axis of the half-cylindrical members 7' and 8. By this arrangement, the can 6 is disposed also in inclined position, whereby the longitudinal axis of the can 6 is disposed in a vertical plane which extends through the longitudinal axis of the flat iron and permits a spraying substantially of equal width to both sides of the'flat iron.

It is to be understood that other suitable means can be provided in order to secure the can holder attachment to the handle 2 of the fiat iron 1, without abandoning the scope of the present invention.

In order to permit a one-hand operation of the ironing and simultaneous spraying of the starch liquid from the can 6, means are provided to push down a nozzle 15 provided at the front end of the can by operation of one finger of the hand gripping the handle 2 of the fiat iron 1.

One embodiment of such one-hand operating means of the nozzle 15 of the can 6 comprises a support 16 projecting from the halt-cylindrical member 7 and carrying a sleeve 17. An operating rod 18 is slid'ably mounted in the sleeve 17, which rod is bent upwardly to form a front rod portion 19 which terminates opposite to, but slightly spaced apart trom the nozzle 15 of the can 6, when the latter is mounted in the can holder attachment 3. The

rear end of the operating rod 18 is bent downwardly to form a rear rod portion 20 [designed as a finger grip, so that one finger of the hand of the operator holding the handle 2 of the flat iron 1 can pull backwardly the operating rod 18 simultaneously engaging the front rod portion 19 with the nozzle 15 to bring about operation of the latter and to start the spnaying operation.

A helical spring 21, the ends of which are secured to the rod 18 and to the clamp 4', respectively, urges the operating rod 18 into its forward inoperative position and upon pulling the finger grip 20, the force of the spring 21 has to be overcome.

While I have disclosed two embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. An attachment for fiat irons including a handle comprising two laterally open members telescopically moving into each other,

one of said members having a front base,

i the other of said members having a rear base,

a spring connecting said members and urging the latter into their collapsed position,

said members being adapted to clamp exchangeably a can having a spraying nozzle inserted therein between said respective bases, and

means for releasably securing said members to said handle.

2. The attachment, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said seeming means comprises a metal band formed integrally with one of said members and surrounding said handle, and

screw means for retaining said metal band on said handle.

3. The attachment, as set forth in claim 1, which includes means secured to one of said members and operative from said handle for operation of said nozzle,

in order to permit spraying of liquid from said can during the ironing operation.

4. The attachment, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said operating means comprises a sleeve rigidly secured to one of said members, and

an operating rod slidably mounted in said sleeve and having an upwardly bent front rod portion adapted to be disposed opposite said nozzle and a downward bent rear rod portion adapted to form a finger grip and to be operated by one finger of the hand gripping said handle of said flat iron.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,099,264 McMeans June 9, 1914 2,602,704 Richterkessing et a1. July 8, 1952 2,941,700 Gable June 21, 1960 3,007,613 Tygard NOV. 7, 1961 

1. AN ATTACHMENT FOR FLAT IRONS INCLUDING A HANDLE COMPRISING TWO LATERALLY OPEN MEMBERS TELESCOPICALLY MOVING INTO EACH OTHER, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A FRONT BASE, THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A REAR BASE, A SPRING CONNECTING SAID MEMBERS AND URGING THE LATTER INTO THEIR COLLAPSED POSITION, SAID MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO CLAMP EXCHANGEABLY A CAN HAVING A SPRAYING NOZZLE INSERTED THEREIN BETWEEN SAID RESPECTIVE BASES, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY SECURING SAID MEMBERS TO SAID HANDLE. 